Consumers who visit these free credit report sites will now be greeted with a large notice at the top of the page informing them they can receive a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com. The link is required to be clickable, so that customers can easily visit the site without having to type anything into their web browser. The notice should read as follows, or similar:
According to credit scoring research, consumers who are actively shopping for credit are higher credit risks than consumers who are not. This makes common sense. Think about this: would you rather lend money to someone who is applying all over town or to someone who applies only when they need credit? Since there is a correlation between shopping for credit and being a higher credit risk an inquiry will, in some cases, lower your credit score. Don’t worry too much though.
ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. ("we" or "us") wants you to be familiar with what information we collect about you, how the information is being used and what choices you have regarding the collection and use of the information. This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") describes our practices in connection with information that we collect over the phone and through our websites, application program interfaces ("APIs") and mobile applications (collectively, the "Site"). Please take a moment to review this Policy and feel free to Contact Us.
Consumers who visit these free credit report sites will now be greeted with a large notice at the top of the page informing them they can receive a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com. The link is required to be clickable, so that customers can easily visit the site without having to type anything into their web browser. The notice should read as follows, or similar:
Want to understand how to get approved for a mortgage or auto loan? Or how you can qualify for a credit card and get a lower interest rate? Do you have good payment history already but want to know what else you can do to raise your score? Our credit experts can help. We also offer you personalized product matches based off your credit scores, and give you lots of different options to choose from, so you’re in control!
Credit Scoring in the United Kingdom is very different to that of the United States and other nations. There is no such thing as a universal credit score or credit rating in the UK. Each lender will assess potential borrowers on their own criteria, and these algorithms are effectively trade secrets. "Credit scores" which are available for individuals to see and provided from Credit Reference Agencies such as Call Credit, Equifax and Experian are the result of marketing departments at credit agencies realising they could sell a product to consumers and are not used by lenders. Lenders instead use their own internal scoring mechanism.
Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law — annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. In some cases, the “free” product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees to your credit card.